A total of 53 different cosmetic foundation samples were collected from cosmetic companies and researchers' friends, family, and work colleagues. The samples represented a wide range of products available on the New Zealand market, consisting of varying shades of browns. The foundation smears were sorted into groups of similar color based on eye judgments. A Bio-Rad FTS 40 FTIR Spectrometer with an SPC 3200 processing unit was used to analyze all of the samples. This paper also describes the use of the GC-FID method reported by Ikeda, Suzuki, and Watanabe for the determination of sunscreen agents. In addition, small amounts of foundation were applied to the surface of epoxy resin SEM disks, and a Phillips 505 SEM-EDX was used to determine the elemental composition of the samples. The interferences of likely casework substrates, i.e., clean cotton and denim, were investigated. The procedures produced an almost complete discrimination (99.7 percent) between foundation samples. The combination of techniques achieved a degree of discrimination greater than that achieved by any one method alone. 4 tables, 7 figures, and 4 references